


Secrets

by ao_no_senshi



Series: Wind and Water [5]
Category: Chouseishin Gransazer | Super Star God Gransazer
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-04-09
Updated: 2010-04-09
Packaged: 2017-10-27 00:33:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/289610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ao_no_senshi/pseuds/ao_no_senshi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto's keeping secrets. This makes Tappei uneasy: they've never had secrets before, he doesn't like that they're starting now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Secrets

It wasn't like Makoto to be late, Tappei thought as he checked his watch for a third time. Especially when meeting up this morning had been his idea in the first place. What if something had happened? What if Makoto had been ambushed by the Warp Monarchy on his way here? What if...

"He'll be here," Ai said firmly, thumping his arm gently. "If Makoto was in trouble he'd call us. He probably got caught in traffic or something."

And that was another thing that wasn't like Makoto, Tappei thought. Today was one of Ai's rare days off when they could all spend time together as the Water Tribe, something which was getting increasingly rare as the Warp Monarchy stepped up their attacks. Where _was_ he? They were almost finished with the coffee they'd ordered and he didn't want to make problems for anyone by taking up seats the cafe would need for other customers.

"There he is!" Ai announced a moment later, waving across the street to where Makoto had just come into view. Makoto waved back, waited for a car to go past, then jogged across the road to the cafe.

"Sorry I'm late."

"That's alright," Ai said cheerfully. "Held up in traffic?"

Makoto nodded, taking one of the other seats at the table and flagging down a barista to make his order. "Yeah," he sighed. "Sorry."

But something wasn't right. Tappei frowned, leaning back in his seat. "Weren't you wearing that yesterday?" he asked, gesturing at the clothes Makoto was wearing. Not that he could particularly comment on wearing the same clothes for a couple of days but Makoto usually didn't.

There was a brief expression of... was that panic? and Tappei was beginning to feel more certain that something wasn't quite right. That there was something Makoto wasn't telling them. "And where's your camera?" he continued. "Wasn't that the point of meeting up today? To look at those photos you were talking about?"

Ai set her cup down, her brows creasing in confusion, while Makoto looked down at himself, chagrinned expression on his face.

"Did you even go home last night?" Tappei demanded, worried now. This wasn't like Makoto at _all._

Their leader gave him a sheepish smile. "Not exactly," he admitted. "That's part of why I'm late."

"But then where--" Tappei's voice broke off as he stared at his friend in surprise. "You were with someone!"

Makoto winced as the barista arrived with his coffee and gave him a look of intent interest. "Say it a bit louder next time, Tappei," he muttered as the woman left. "I think someone on the other side of the city didn't hear you."

"Was she pretty?" Ai asked with interest and Tappei couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by how easily she was taking this revelation.

Makoto choked on the coffee, then made a muffled sound of assent. As he then went on to change the subject Tappei had little choice but to follow along, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to find out what was going on. A lot had happened yesterday, after all; Makoto and Jin had almost _died_ and it seemed out of character for him to be sleeping around, even at the best of times let alone a time like this.

"Come on back to mine," Makoto suggested as they were leaving. "You guys can look at the photos and I can change."

"And shower?" Tappei muttered under his breath but Makoto heard him anyway.

"I showered already," he replied, frowning at him as if Makoto was trying to work out why he was upset. Which he wasn't. He'd just thought they were close enough that Makoto would be able to talk about these things with them. Or with him, if he didn't want to talk guy stuff in front of Ai. "I just didn't have a spare set of clothes with me."

The trip back to Makoto's apartment was more stilted then Tappei could ever remember them being. Ai was doing her best to keep the conversation going but soon even she started to flag and the rest of the train ride passed in silence, a silence that remained until they reached Makoto's apartment despite Ai's attempts to start up a conversation again.

Once inside the apartment Makoto looked a photo album out, flipping through the pages until he came to the ones he was looking for. "These are the photos from Whale God Island," he said eventually. "Take a look, see which ones you want; I've still got the negatives."

Ai nodded and took the album out of his hands. "Thank you, Makoto," she smiled, sitting down by Makoto's small table. "We'll enjoy looking through these, won't we, Tappei?"

"Ah, right," Tappei replied, a little cowed by the steely-eyed glare she was giving him. Ai, he realised, was decidedly not impressed with him and he sighed. How could she not be upset by this? Makoto was keeping secrets from them, a concept that had shaken his view of the world.

He looked at a few photos over Ai's shoulder, but his heart wasn't in it, even though the photos were great. He shook his head and went after their leader. He needed to talk about this, just to try and clear the air if nothing else. He knocked on the door of the dark room, which was where Makoto had gone to get changed.

"Come in," Makoto called and Tappei opened the door carefully, stepping inside just as Makoto slipped his clean shirt on over his head. Makoto looked over at him and folded his arms. "Why are you so upset?" he asked. "This is nothing to do with you."

"You're keeping secrets," Tappei replied, scuffing his sandal against the floor. "You've never kept secrets from us before."

Makoto sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not keeping secrets, Tappei, it's just... this is private, okay?"

"It was one of the others, wasn't it," Tappei ventured and was rewarded when Makoto jumped slightly. Although that then begged the question of _who_. Ran was probably not Makoto's type and Ryoko didn't seem like the kind of person who would go for casual sex. Mika... was possible, he supposed, but Tenma would be really pissed if it had been. That just left...

Not Ai, he thought hurriedly. It couldn't have been Ai. Ai had arrived before he had this morning and she'd seemed surprised as well by the revelation of Makoto... spending the night elsewhere. But... she hadn't been upset and...

He started in surprise as Makoto's hands landed on his shoulders. "I wasn't with Ai," Makoto told him softly, holding Tappei's gaze intently and Tappei wanted to believe him, he really did, but he was just beginning to think that maybe Mika had been right when she'd said he was in love with Ai and what if the realisation had come too late?

"It's fine if you were," Tappei forced himself to say. He wanted Ai to be happy, after all. He wanted Makoto happy as well and if they were happy together then he would just have to be happy for them and...

 _Just tell me,_ he told Makoto in silent desperation. _Tell me the truth, I can take it._

"I wasn't with Ai," Makoto repeated firmly, his gaze never wavering. "I promise, Tappei. It was someone else."

And, in spite of the fact that he couldn't think who that person would be, Tappei believed him. Makoto might be keeping secrets from them but he wouldn't lie to them, wouldn't lie to _him_. "Okay," he nodded, his tension fading slowly. "Alright."

Makoto gave him a faint smile and playful thump against his shoulder. "Come on. We'd better go before Ai starts getting worried we're fighting in here."

Tappei grinned and slung an arm around Makoto's shoulders. "Of course we're not fighting," he announced. "Who was fighting?"

Makoto laughed and pushed the door open. "I have no idea."


End file.
